Coming of Age
by Jessy E
Summary: This is kind of an AU story in which our heroes have adult lives and their children prepare to take their place in the wizarding world. Their children must come to terms with the legacy left each of them even as they try to finish school and fall in love


Jessy Elkins

Author's Note: This is somewhat AU somewhat inline with the books. I was going for a happy ever after tail in which death isn't lurking around every corner and we can see the next generation of Wizards and Witch's come of age.

Hermione sat on the couch in her massive family room staring at the fire. She was waiting. The stonewalls in the room were covered in smiling portraits, her five children beaming at her from every corner of the room through their frames. Thank goodness they were gone tonight.

Heather, her eldest daughter at 17 was staying over at her friend Victoria's house for the weekend. Hermione felt bad and a little guilty for her long time best friend Ronald Weasley who was Victoria's father and would now have to deal with two teenage girls in his home in addition to Victoria's moody twin brother Raymond and his rather lively 10 year old Vivian all by himself while his wife, Lavender was away visiting her ill father and fretting mother. She glanced at the clock and her guilt quickly faded.

'Besides,' she reasoned with herself as the guilt for not feeling guilty settled in, 'It is really Harry and Ginny who have it worse.' Harry and Ginny had taken on her 13-year-old son Anthony, 9-year-old son Lucus, 5-year-old son Apollo, and just turned 2 year old son Matthew for the weekend. The potter's had these four sons of hers in addition to their own 17-year-old daughter Jessica, 14-year-old son Albus, and 5-year-old daughter Lily. Lucky for them their oldest son, Sirius was 19 and lived in his own apartment in muggle London.

Why were her children being dispersed to various family members for two nights? Really it was Ginny's idea.

Hermione had quit her job as a medical researcher when she had had Lucus. After working during Jessica and then Anthony's infancy, she had decided it would be easier to be a stay at home mom for awhile. Granted this was before she had ended up with five children, but she was happy in her role non-the less.

Due to her many hours at home, she had become more aware of and involved in her husband's business; becoming his partner in the financial dealings of their lives as well as the personal ones. Because of her help, her husband's business had expanded internationally and he had cause to be abroad many nights while she handled business on the home front.

Goodness, how she missed him.

His most recent business adventure had taken her husband to Sweden for almost three weeks. He had needed to go in order to work on settling a potential lawsuit against a giant magical computer corporation and a Danish company that made technology that created compatibility between muggle and magical kiosks.

Hermione understood and loved the life she'd chosen when she'd married an international corporate lawyer, but sometimes it was hard. Especially when Lavender and Ginny were her best friends and each had husbands that worked regular 9-5 jobs. Ron was a sports broadcaster and Harry was an Auror (although admittedly sometimes Harry could be gone for awhile too).

Hermione once again glanced at the clock. He was due in any second now and she expectantly stared at the fireplace, eyes occasionally darting to the marked off 3X3 square of hardwood floor to the right of the fireplace that served as her mansions main apparating point.

She was waiting so hard that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her and nearly hit the high stone ceiling when a hand touched her shoulder. Having been trained in combat, indeed having done so most of her adolescence, Hermione quickly recovered and whipped around, wand already in hand ready to stun the perpetrator.

It was very lucky indeed that her husband was expecting such a reaction because he was prepared to grab her wrists quickly and smash his lips against hers before she had a chance to say the stunning charm he knew was her first defense.

Hermione melted into that kiss. Sure everything had happened rather quickly, but she knew as sure as she knew her own name (though her mind was getting somewhat fuzzy) that even though she hadn't had time to see his face, this man was her husband and the love of her life.

Draco Malfoy was one hell of a kisser.

After a few intense minutes, they broke apart, Draco still holding Hermione's wrists and, with a smirk that Hermione sometimes loved and sometimes hated, asked, "I didn't frighten you, did I love?"

Hermione stared at him for a second before giving him a quick "no" and immediately returning to their original greeting. Draco released his wife of almost 18 years wrists and moved them gradually down her sides before resting one on her waist and one on her bum giving it a gentle squeeze. She responded immediately by tangling her hands in his hair and leaning back to invite him to deepen the kiss.

The low moan that erupted from her throat caused Draco to pull back from her. He smirked at the unhappy snarl she gave him and asked in a breathy voice, "Where are the children?"

"Heather is staying with Victoria and the boys are with Ginny and Harry."

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"For the weekend." Hermione amended.

Draco's blonde, perfectly arched eyebrows went further into his hairline as he looked down at his wife who was still leaning back slightly, exposing the cleavage her v-neck blouse had before hidden.

Hermione gazed back at her husband steadily, allowing all her emotions; how much she had missed and desired him shine through in her gaze. His lips found hers again and this time the kiss was slower, though it contained just as much passion. Their tongues danced in a completely familiar and tender way.

Hermione forgot completely about the candles and roses in the master bedroom when he pulled her shirt off to reveal naked breasts and bit her nipples in turn until they were hard. Draco forgot entirely about how exhausted he was from traveling as she undid his belt buckle and maneuvered her hand to clasp around what was barely hidden underneath his silk boxers. Hermione forgot absolutely about how lonely she had been for nearly three weeks, as they became reacquainted with each other in front of the fireplace.

In their large colonial style home, Harry and Ginny Potter were getting ready for bed. As Ginny brushed her teeth, Harry flopped himself backwards on their king size bed and groaned.

Ginny poked her head out of the master bathroom and grinned at her husband, a little bit of toothpaste still around her upper lip. "Whatever is the matter dear?" she asked her clearly exhausted husband.

Harry turned his head and glared and Ginny as she began walking towards him, her smile growing larger. He knew she was mocking him-Ginny never called him dear. She held a certain disdain for pet names. "Don't you start, Gin. What on Earth ever possessed you to tell Hermione we would watch all of her sons! Crazy women! Between those four and Albus I nearly died today!"

"Then nothing new happened today," responded Ginny rather dryly as she crawled on the bed until she was right behind Harry and lifted his head into her lap. She began to run her fingers through his thick, still messy black hair and smiled, gently this time to replace the goofy grin she had been wearing before, and Harry closed his eyes, relaxing into the touch of his wife. "Besides," she continued, "Hermione needed this. Draco has been gone a long time and I know she misses him terribly."

Harry conceded that it was worth the trouble of having so many children in his house if Hermione was happy this weekend. "I still don't get it Gin! Every time I really stop to think about I wonder how on Earth those two ended up together!"

Ginny laughed out right at this before scolding, "Harry James Potter! You should know better then anyone that it matters only how you feel for a person." She was referencing how, after Harry had proposed and then quickly married Ginny when she was still only seventeen, Ron had refused to speak with him for nearly six months. "Besides, I would think that after the way he fought in the war with us and after they've been together almost 20 years (married for almost eighteen of them), you would be used to it by now."

"I am," responded Harry dryly. "I'll even admit to Draco's being a decent bloke even if his kids are little terrors." Here, Ginny interjected claiming that, although they were energetic, Hermione and Draco had raised their sons to be anything but terrors. Harry continued. "What really ribs me is that those two are getting a nice little break and I am here watching all their kids with no chance to be alone with my sexy wife!" At this point he sat up and turned so his face was inches from Ginny's own.

Her goofy grin returned. "Well just think Mr. Potter, now they owe us. Besides," she leaned into him, "no one says we can't warm up now." Just as their lips were about to touch, there was a knock on their bedroom door and a small, red head poked its way into their room, big green eyes blinking at her parents as five-year-old Lily Potter stood at the entrance to their master bedroom.

"Mommy, Daddy, I had a scary dream."

Ginny grinned as Harry held his arms out and helped their youngest child climb onto the huge bed. She continued grinning as Harry turned off the bedroom light with a flick of his wand and didn't stop as she fell asleep, holding her husbands hand tightly as they held their daughter closely between them.


End file.
